Here are this month’s book suggestions from your friends at The Scroll:

Letter to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of MLK by Bryan Loritts — More than fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Much has transpired in the half-century since, and progress has been made in the issues that were close to Dr. King’s heart. Thankfully, the burning crosses, biting police dogs, and angry mobs of that day are long gone. But in their place, passivity has emerged. A passivity that must be addressed.

That’s the aim of Letters to a Birmingham Jail. A collection of essays written by men of various ethnicities and ages, this book encourages us to pursue Christ exalting diversity. Each contribution recognizes that only the cross and empty tomb of Christ can bring true unity, and each notes that the gospel demands justice in all its forms. This was a truth that Dr. King fought and gave his life for, and this is a truth that these modern day “drum majors for justice” continue to beat.

According To Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible by Graeme Goldsworthy — The massive diversity and complexity of the Bible can make it a daunting project for anyone to tackle. Getting a grasp on the unity of the Bible, its central message from Genesis to Revelation, helps immensely in understanding the meaning of any one book or passage. That is the goal of this book by Graeme Goldsworthy.

• How do the Old and New Testaments fit together?
• What is the point of biblical theology?
• What is the overall story of the Bible?
• What difference does it make?

Goldsworthy answers these questions with an integrated theology of both Old and New Testaments that avoids unnecessary technicalities. Concise, pithy chapters featuring dozens of charts, highlighted summaries and study questions make According to Plan an enormously useful book for understanding how the Bible fits together as the unfolding story of God’s plan for salvation.

Woman & God by Kathleen Nielson — There is much discussion and confusion around the issues of gender equality and gender roles, and the church is not exempt. Some even believe that the Bible contributes to sexism against women and that God is, in some way, sexist.

In this warm, conversational and sympathetic book, Kathleen Nielson looks at what the Bible really says about women and what it reveals about God’s attitude towards them. She asks the hard questions about the Old Testament Law, the role of women in marriage and the role of women in the church, consistently pointing us to God’s word and his perfectly created order. Take a look at the issues here.

She not only provides Biblical reasoning in answer to these questions, but also shows how the truth can be enjoyed as women and men submit to the perfect will of our compassionate, merciful and gracious God.

Women and men of all backgrounds, views, and ages will find this a valuable book. Pastors and Elders will will find it useful as they work out how to faithfully lead a united worshiping community under the authority of Christ and in accordance with Scripture. It is also ideal for use in women’s ministry as women seek to live and act according to God’s will.

Redeeming Your Time by Jordan Raynor — Despite the overwhelming amount of resources for time management and work-life balance, the ability to cultivate the efficiency and equilibrium needed to manage all our worthy pursuits can often feel frustratingly out of reach. The reason for our struggle is that productivity and time-management systems focus on individual habits rather than more meaningful and lasting lifestyle changes. But as it turns out, there is a better way to reach our full potential.

We don’t need just another approach to changing our habits. What we need is an operating system that takes into account the full scope of our lives. In these pages, bestselling author Jordan Raynor presents this system, using seven powerful time- management principles drawn from the example of how Jesus lived:

1. Start with the Word: Find meaningful connection with the author of time daily.
2. Let Your Yes Be Yes: Accept only the commitments you can fulfill.
3. Dissent from the Kingdom of Noise: Create room for silence, stillness, and reflection.
4. Prioritize Your Yeses: Confidently maintain your commitments.
5. Accept Your “Unipresence”: Focus on one important thing at a time.
6. Embrace Productive Rest: Live the God-designed rhythms of rest which are productive for our goals and souls.
7. Eliminate All Hurry: Embrace productive busyness while ruthlessly eliminating hurry from our lives.

With these principles, you’ll see how Jesus managed his time on earth and how he responded to human constraints much like the ones you face today. More than that, you’ll discover corresponding practices that will help you embrace the best, most Christlike version of yourself possible: purposeful, present, and wildly productive.

Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer — If God is in control of everything, can Christians sit back and not bother to evangelize? Or does active evangelism imply that God is not really sovereign at all? J. I. Packer shows in this new edition to the popular IVP Classics how both of these attitudes are false.

In a careful review of the biblical evidence, he shows how a right understanding of God’s sovereignty is not so much a barrier to evangelism as an incentive and powerful support for it.

With over 100,000 copies in print, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God is truly a classic that should be read by every Christian.